


Utsukushī Tsuki (Beautiful Moon)

by aegicheezu



Category: GacktJOB, Hyde (Musician) - Fandom, Jrock, Moon Child (2003)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 16:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12392079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aegicheezu/pseuds/aegicheezu
Summary: On the set of Moon Child, Gackt asks Hyde about staying young forever. Hyde reveals a secret that he’s held for nearly 200 years…*Set in 2003: Hyde is 34 and Gackt is 30 at this time.





	Utsukushī Tsuki (Beautiful Moon)

“Alright, that’s a wrap for today! Good work everyone!” Choruses of “well done!” and “good work today!” echoed through the crowd of editors, film crew, makeup artists. Gackt unceremoniously flopped down against the bed of the on-set bedroom. He let an exhausted sigh pass his parted lips. Within moments, an equally tired Hyde joined him on the uncomfortable bed.

“That was rough,” he said, voice still a touch in-character.

Gackt smiled, looking up into the set lights. “Well, shooting’s done for today at last, we can rest.” He turned his head to face Hyde. “You did well.”

“So did you,” he replied. “Though, I don’t like to see you cry.” He playfully slapped the other’s shoulder. “Let’s have a drink.”

They both rose from the bed and groaned, making a show of having to stretch their legs, and laughing. “We’re getting old!” Gackt joked. Hyde chuckled.

“Come on now, old man,” Hyde added, “remember who’s older between the two of us!”

Saying their goodbyes to the film crew, the pair went off to Gackt’s trailer.

 

A few hours had passed, and the number of empty beer bottles had grown. Hyde’s head lolled gently back and forth against the couch as he hummed their duet. Gackt joined in after a moment, and they sat quietly humming _Orenji no Taiyō_ together in the soft evening light.

“Ahh, Hyde,” Gackt began, taking another sip from his now-warm beer and making a show of cracking his neck and shoulders, “we’re not as young as we used to be, huh?”

“You’re still younger than I am, Gacchan,” Hyde replied. “Thirty isn’t old, you know.” He shifted where he sat so that he could better look at the other man. “Or should I deliver my monologue again?”

“No, no,” Gackt laughed. “I just meant that I feel older lately. Maybe I should work out more. I don’t want to get wrinkles,” he patted his cheeks. “What’s your secret?” He extended a hand to gently touch Hyde’s, who brought his face closer and obliged. _You’d never guess he’s nearly 40,_ Gackt mused. “Soft,” he said. “What moisturizer do you use?” _Looking at him so close like this_ , Gackt thought, _he really doesn’t have any wrinkles at all…_

Hyde chuckled again. “That’s my secret, Gacchan,” and he playfully flicked Gackt’s hand away from his cheek. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day.”

“Don’t be so cryptic, just have a drink!” Gackt laughed.

And they did.

Soon, though, drinking in amiable silence gave way to silly dares and question games. Laughter filled the small trailer in the stillness of the night.

“It really is a great story, you know,” Hyde said calmly after a bout of laughter. “I really like it.”

“Oh, this?” Gackt had momentarily forgotten what had brought the two men together in the first place. “I’m glad you accepted the role. I wrote it with you in mind, really.”

“Did you?” Hyde took another long sip of his beer. “I’m flattered.” _How sweet_ , he thought. _He has no idea… and yet, how perfect._ He smiled widely, despite himself.

“Hyde,” Gackt began slowly, “do you think it’s true what they say about co-stars on film sets?”

Hyde scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for Zeny?” He rolled his eyes. “Legendary player Camui Gakuto falls in love with pretty co-star on set of film,” he took another sip of beer, as if emphasizing the ridiculousness of it.

“Ah, shut up,” Gackt jokingly punched the other man. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Hyde replied. “What did you mean, then?” He softened his look and noticed that Gackt’s eyes had become downcast and his leg was bouncing – a nervous tick of his.

“It’s nothing, now,” Gackt replied softly, his voice weak. “Never mind,” he got up swiftly, but Hyde reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Gacchan,” Hyde began. “Is there something you want to tell me?” He could feel Gackt’s pulse quicken in his grasp. _It’s so loud_ , Hyde thought. _He has no idea… how will he react? Already his heart is going mad…_

“Hyde,” Gackt started, stammering a little, “it’s nothing, probably nothing,” he swallowed hard. “Just a harmless crush…”

“Gakuto,” Hyde said firmly, but still kind, “sit down.” He gently pulled on Gackt’s hand and brought the younger man back down to his level on the bed. “Look at me.” Gackt slowly raised his gaze. “Is there something you need to tell me?” Hyde asked again.

“I said it was probably nothing,” Gackt repeated. “I’m just seeing you in a different light, these days. That’s all. It’s a little heavy.”

Hyde sighed. “Is that all?” he cooed, and ruffled Gackt’s hair. “I thought seeing men in that way wasn’t anything new to you?”

“It’s not,” Gackt answered honestly. “But, it’s _you_ ,” he took a deep breath. “And I didn’t want to ruin our friendship by doing anything weird.”

 _If only you knew…_ Hyde thought wistfully. He shook the thought from his mind, and instead replied, “Gacchan, it doesn’t make our friendship weird.” He drew the other man in close. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you, either,” Hyde whispered carelessly into Gackt’s ear. _Ah shit,_ he reprimanded himself. _I didn’t mean to say that._ Despite his slip-up, he smiled.

“Really?” Gackt asked, face burrowed in Hyde’s shoulder.

“This is just like our last scene,” Hyde joked, and he took Gackt’s chin in his hand. “Yes, really.” He smiled. _Shall I kiss him?_ He thought. _Just to see that cute pink flush he’ll get on his cheeks_. Hyde brought their faces close; he could see Gackt’s pupils widen, he felt the other man’s pulse quicken in his neck. Feeling the quick heartbeat in such a place made Hyde almost groan with delight, but he held back. Gackt looked up at him, almost expectant. _Alright,_ Hyde thought, _I will kiss him._

And he did.

Gackt immediately seemed to sink into the other man’s frame; he knew it was the ultimate cliché to compare a kiss to fireworks, but something in the way the other man had pressed his lips to his own made him feel light-headed. He let a soft sigh pass through his parted lips, and with his eyes half-closed he thought he saw something glinting in Hyde’s mouth for the briefest moment.

“Hyde, what…?” Gackt asked between kisses. Hyde tried to distract the other man by kissing him deeper, as he willed his fangs away. _Not now,_ he thought furiously, _not right now…_

“Gacchan, how long have you felt this way?” Hyde attempted to change the subject. Gackt pulled away gently, revealing a delightfully flush expression. _Just what I was hoping for_ , Hyde mused. _He’s so pretty like this_.

“I myself don’t even know,” Gackt admitted. “Maybe a long time. But since filming, it’s gotten harder to ignore.” He smiled, despite his embarrassment. “What can we do about this, now?” His voice betrayed concern, and almost a sadness. Of course, they couldn’t come out with this to the public, certainly not to their managers.

“We can be together in secret, I suppose,” Hyde let out a sigh. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to hide something,” he smiled wryly.

“Am I worth all that?” Gackt asked, suddenly honest. “I don’t want you to risk your career over me, Hyde.”

“Don’t you start,” Hyde countered. “I’m an old man, you said so yourself! I can make my own decisions,” he rested his head against Gackt’s shoulder. “Besides, having to sneak around on set could be rather fun. Like a game.”

Gackt smiled. _What have I started?_ He thought.

 

The weeks passed, and at last, _Moon Child_ was nearly finished. The pair had been able to hide their blossoming romance well; no one seemed to notice how often Gackt slunk back to his trailer in the early hours, having spent the night with Hyde.

Most evenings, the pair simply lay with each other and talked and laughed all evening, until the sun began to rise. Some evenings though, talking and laughing was exchanged for whispers and kisses, and stifled moans so as not to wake the others on the lot. It was those nights that Hyde found the most difficult; on those nights, he could feel everything a thousand times more intensely that he knew Gackt ever could; his senses nearly drove him insane, everything was heightened. Something about the other man drove him wild, there was no denying. Once their relationship had become physical, Hyde found it harder and harder every day to keep himself from giving the game away. There was something about the younger man that called out to Hyde; something moved deep within him every time Gackt softly touched his skin. It was maddening; in all his years alive – and he was coming up to nearly 200, now – he had never met a lover that drove him to distraction the way that Gackt seemed to. His appetite seemed to have increased tenfold; but of course, he could not afford to feed – the risk was too high; his weakness seemed to lend even more authenticity to his role of the starving vampire. But, he was hungry – he would have to eat sooner or later, or he really would waste away. And, rather selfishly, the whole project had made him wonder – just how bad would it be, if he could turn Gackt, and have a companion forever? _Would that be so terrible?_

That evening, he sat reclined on the bed with Gackt’s head in his lap, stroking the other man’s soft hair. A million thoughts fought for attention in his tired mind; to quiet them, he spoke softly, “Gackt, would you sing for me… please?”

“Sing?” Gackt asked, a little surprised.

“I hear you’re a pretty good singer,” he joked. “Please, sing for me.”

“Alright,” Gackt put on a pensive face. “Shall I sing our song?” he asked, after a while. It was truly theirs; they’d written it together for the film.

Hyde thought a moment. “No, that one is too sad. Sing me one of yours.”

“I’ve got it,” Gackt said after a while. Clearing his throat, he began to sing.

_Pretending not to notice_  
_I gazed far outside a small window_  
_The voice of an angel fills the sky_  
_Embraced by the wind_  
_The noise reflected in your eyes can't hear a thing_  
_Now it's just "a trick of sweet time"_  
_I whispered to the sky"_  
_Around and round... In the time left behind, I am now_  
_Les miserables_  
_I loved you too much and you are now on the other side of the wall  
_ _Laughing softly…_

Before he could stop himself, Hyde felt a tear fall from the corner of his eye. _If only you knew how far away from you I feel_ , he thought. _Even here, like this, it’s like we’re miles away. Should I tell you the truth?_

Gackt paused. “Hyde, what’s wrong?” He looked up expectantly at the other man, who rushed to wipe away the gentle tears that had fallen.

“Ah,” Hyde was flustered, “it’s your singing. It’s… nice,” he felt rather stupid for coming up with such a weak line. “it’s not often anyone gets to hear you sing softly like that, I was caught off guard.”

“Hmm…” Gackt turned onto his side and lay facing the other man, head propped up on one hand. “Or are you sad that it’s the last week of filming?” He couldn’t help a smile. _Could it be that you’re just as in love with me as I am with you?_ He thought, hopeful.

“Gacchan,” Hyde ventured, hoping the cutening of his lover’s name would soften the shock, “do you trust me?”

Gackt was puzzled by the question. “Of course I do,” he smiled. “What’s wrong?”

“I have something to tell you,” Hyde spoke slowly, softly. “But you must promise me that you won’t run out of here screaming, or tell anyone else.”

“Okay…” Gackt spoke equally as slow. “What is this about?”

“Gacchan,” Hyde repeated, “you may not believe this, but I want to tell you the truth.”

“You’re scaring me, Hyde, what is it? Are you married or something?”

“No, no,” Hyde laughed, despite his nerves. “Gackt, I… I’m not like you.”

“What do you mean?” Gackt sat up, and rested a hand at the nape of the other man’s neck, stroking gently with a thumb.

“Guess how old I am.” Hyde hoped revealing himself this way would be easier.

“You’re thirty four, I knew that already.”

“I’m older than that, Gacchan,” Hyde corrected gently. “Now guess.”

“I really don’t know! Are you 40, then?”

“Older.”

Gackt laughed. “Surely not. I don’t believe it.”

“Gacchan, I’m… I’m nearly 200 years old.” Hyde managed a weak smile. _You don’t believe me, do you…_

Gackt couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, Hyde,” he finally said, “maybe the acting is taking it’s toll on you. I didn’t realize you were a method actor.”

Hyde couldn’t bear the sight of Gackt laughing at him.

“Do you want proof?” he spat, unable to hide his anger. Gackt jumped a little at the change in Hyde’s tone.

“Hyde… I didn’t mean anything by it,” Gackt extended a hand and grasped Hyde’s. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Hyde spoke softer now. “How else can you believe, if I don’t show you?” Hyde got up from the bed slowly and stood in front of Gackt. He opened his mouth slowly, and let his fangs protrude. Gackt’s eyes grew wide and his own mouth fell open.

“Hyde… what…?” Gackt crawled to the edge of the bed to get a closer look. He didn’t dare get closer than that, though, for a part of him really was scared. “Hyde,” he repeated, “you don’t mean to tell me that you’re actually a…”

“A vampire,” Hyde finished for him, not budging from where he stood. “Yes, I do mean it.”

“Vampires…” Gackt could hardly believe it. He sat up on the bed, legs hanging over the edge. “Vampires actually exist in this world? And you… you’re one of them?”

“…yes, Gacchan, I am,” Hyde took a step closer; when he saw that Gackt did not flinch away, he continued to close the gab between them until he stood directly in front of the other man. And, mirroring the bedroom scene from weeks earlier, he rested Gackt’s head against his stomach and stroked his hair. _How natural this feels,_ he thought. “Are you frightened of me?”

“No,” Gackt replied after a while. “No, I’m not.” He looked up at Hyde, who was fighting back tears. “Besides, you would never hurt me, would you?”

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Hyde replied, adding quietly, “I wouldn’t ever harm the man I---” he stopped himself before he said something incriminating, but Gackt had heard.

After a moment, Gackt replied softly, “I love you too, you know.”

“You what?”

“I love you,” Gackt repeated. “I know it hasn’t been long, but we’ve spent so much time together… and I can’t help myself around you.” He tugged playfully on Hyde’s sleeves, and the other man sat down next to Gackt on the bed once again.

“What…” Hyde began, “what can we do about this, now?” His voice echoed the same question Gackt had asked when they had kissed for the first time.

“What you’ve always done, I suppose,” Gackt mused. “I have so many questions… but I won’t ask you all in one night.” He snaked an arm around the other man and drew him close, kissing his forehead.

“You can ask me at least one, Gacchan,” Hyde smiled. “If you didn’t, it would be weird.”

Gackt laughed, despite the otherworldliness of the whole thing. “Alright, I’ll ask you some things. But first,” he leaned in and kissed the other. “Tell me you love me, properly.”

Hyde smiled back.

“I love you, Gakuto.”

Another kiss.

 

Some time later, the men lay together in bed. Gackt rested against Hyde’s bare shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“I do have a few questions,” he said at last.

“Go on,” Hyde replied.

“Why aren’t you affected by the sun?”

“Have you ever seen me outside in a t-shirt and shorts?” Hyde countered.

“…no,” Gackt replied. “No, I haven’t, actually.” His eyes grew wide like he’d just solved a complex math problem. “So if you just cover your skin, you can go out in the daytime?”

“Basically, yes,” Hyde answered. “But to be out in the daytime regularly, you need to be healthy and well-fed,” he paused. “You must know what I mean, don’t you?”

Gackt was silent. “Ah,” he said, “I’d forgotten about that.” He looked up at Hyde through his lashes. “How do you… I mean… where do you get…?”

“The blood?” Hyde finished for him. “It’s funny, I’m so much like the character you wrote for me, it’s almost as if you already knew my secret.”

“You mean, you feed off of criminals?”

“I do.” Hyde seemed remorseful for a moment. “You know, it really is remarkable that you wrote such a character… so like me.” He twirled pieces of Gackt’s hair between his own long fingers.

“I had no idea…” Gackt trailed off.

“I don’t kill, you know,” Hyde continued, “I mean, I try not to. I just take what I need, and then I make them forget. They have no memory of my biting them at all. I try not to make it hurt, either. I’ve learned how to do that.” _Please don’t think of me as some kind of monster_ , he thought desperately.

“It must have been terrible, at the beginning,” Gackt offered. “How did you learn how to cope? Who taught you? Where are they now?”

“So many questions,” Hyde cooed softly.

“You said I could ask as many as I wanted!” Gackt replied, childishly. “I have so many…” he pretended to pout.

“Alright, alright,” Hyde pressed a kiss to Gackt’s forehead. “I’ll start from the beginning. His name was Kazuo; it was the early 1800s, and I was living in Heian-kyō. I was a musician then, too; I was the son of a nobleman in the courts, and I often played for the Emperor. Kazuo was older than me, perhaps my older brother’s age – ah, I had an older brother, but he died naturally. Kazuo was an astrologer, the Emperor’s favourite.”

“He was an Onmyoji?”

Hyde laughed. “Yes, he was. But he was nowhere near as powerful as Abe no Seimei, of course.”

“Did you know him, too?” Gackt asked, eyes wide.

Again, Hyde laughed. “Of course not! Abe no Seimei was well before my own time, I’m not _that_ old!” Hyde couldn’t help but press another kiss to Gackt’s forehead. _How cute he is like this_ , he thought.

“How did you… become a vampire?” Gackt asked tentatively, at last.

Hyde seemed to ponder a moment. “Kazuo seemed to take an interest in me; he would usually be present when I entertained the Emperor, but that was nothing unusual. On a few occasions, he invited me to his quarters to play for him; again, that wasn’t unusual. But… I soon figured out that it wasn’t simply music that Kazuo wanted from me.”

“You don’t mean he…” Gackt didn’t want to finish the thought.

Hyde was quick to reassure him. “No, no, it was completely consensual. He initiated things, of course, but I soon grew used to his charms and came to love him, in my own way.”

“Then what happened?” Gackt asked, with all the eagerness of a child listening to a bedtime story.

“Then, Kazuo revealed himself to me in much the same way as I did, to you. But I wasn’t so quick to believe him. I thought he was simply using his magic skill to trick me; a silly lover’s prank. But, he soon convinced me, and I was intrigued.”

“What made you decide to become a vampire? Was it an accident? Or did you choose it?”

Again, Hyde paused, as if remembering the very day it had happened.

“It sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, but a terrible plague had gripped the capital,” Hyde began, “people were dying, left and right. Nowadays, we could have stopped something like that, it was simply a contagious stomach virus. But, back then, it was as if the gods were punishing us for all our misdeeds.”

“And you, did you get sick?” Gackt pressed.

“I was very fearful,” Hyde replied, stroking the other man’s hair as he spoke. “So many of the courtesans and concubines were sick and died suddenly. I had come down with a cough, and thought the end was near,” he smiled a little, shaking his head. “It’s silly, now, but back then, I thought I was surely going to die. So, I begged and pleaded with Kazuo to change me, so that I could live. I was afraid of death, and didn't want to suffer like I'd seen those around me suffer.”

“I don’t need to ask how that turned out then, do I?” Gackt added, “obviously he agreed.”

“Not right away,” Hyde continued, “he was annoyingly insistent that I not be changed, at first. But I wouldn’t give up. Each day he refused, I sent a bundle of letters to his quarters imploring him to change his mind.”

“So you wore him down?”

“I did,” Hyde replied, laughing at the memory. “I can still remember the argument we had, that finally broke him. I said, _if you don’t change me, I’ll kill myself and return as a vengeful spirit! And you’ll never be rid of me then! So either you change me and keep me as your lover for eternity, or I will forcibly remain by your side and curse you forever_!” He couldn’t help but laugh at the memory.

Gackt smiled. “That must have been a persuasive argument, at last. He loved you, didn’t he?” His voice betrayed the slightest dagger of jealousy.

“He did love me, yes…” Hyde admitted, “But shortly after he changed me and we left the capital, he died.”

“What? How? Is it like it is in the movies after all?”

“No, nothing like the movies. He made a mistake, that’s all. An accidental death.” Hyde’s voice grew soft.

“What happened? How do you accidentally kill a vampire?” _I can’t believe I’m even having this conversation_ , Gackt thought. _It’s like we really are in the film…_

Again, Hyde sighed deeply, as if remembering the very day it happened. “We were starving… the British brought many diseases with them when they came… there were so few healthy people we could have fed from,” Hyde shook his head, “this was before I decided to only drink from criminals, people who deserved it.”

“You did what you had to do to stay alive,” Gackt offered, “I don’t judge you for that.” He pressed a kiss to Hyde’s neck.

“Kazuo was worse for wear than I was,” Hyde continued. “He was becoming desperate for a healthy body. One day, he at last found his meal – a beautiful _maiko_. He met with her on the pretense of telling her fortune, and when the moment came, he fed. But the trouble was, he couldn’t stop. He kept drinking… even after her heart had stopped.”

“So, he killed her?”

“Yes, but he kept drinking,” Hyde continued, “and if we drink ‘dead blood,’ then it’s like poison to us.”

Gackt nodded, trying to understand. “So… because he was too hungry to notice that she had already died, he kept drinking, and that’s what killed him?”

“Yes,” Hyde concluded. “Simple as that. No bursting into flame, no garlic, or sutras, or anything like that.” He nudged Gackt, who sat up. “That’s it, really. That’s my story. How I came to be.”

Gackt looked into Hyde’s eyes. _I can’t believe any of this,_ he thought. _And yet, of course it makes sense. I’ve seen it with my own eyes._ “Did you stay in Japan, all this time?”

“I left for a while, after Kazuo died. I lived in China for a while, but the British had brought their diseases there, too. So I quickly returned to Japan and contented myself with being a wandering musician, traveling up and down the country. I couldn’t stay in one place very long; or else people would begin to wonder about me.”

“But what about now? Don’t you worry about being discovered?”

Hyde laughed. “I do, sometimes. But these days, everyone is obsessed with looking young, and everyone gets surgery… so, I suppose I fit right in. If Atsushi or Yoshiki can look as good as they do without having gone under the knife, who would question me?”

Gackt smiled. “That’s true, I suppose,” he stretched his legs out along the bed, making his knees crack. “Ahh,” he exhaled instinctively. “Must be nice to have the same youthful face year after year,” he teased, “although I wish there really was a face cream that could do that for me!”

Hyde smiled, “you’re so vain,” and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Whatever am I going to do with you?”

“You could kiss me again,” Gackt countered, a sly smile on his face.

 

*  


The credits rolled, and lights went up; the first screening of _Moon Child_ was over. In the darkness, Hyde had snuck his arm around Gackt and had been resting against his shoulder; as soon as the room began to brighten, the men jolted apart and joined in with the rest of the cast and crew, who were applauding. Both men had tears in their eyes; the project had become that much more personal, more real, to them both; of course, everyone else simply thought they were proud of their work. Gackt squeezed Hyde’s hand and gave him a look that read, _I can’t wait to be with you, later_. Hyde returned the same look, and smiled. _Soon,_ he thought. _Times like this, I wish he could read my mind just like I can read his…_

Having satisfied the photographers and the other cast members with their presence, Gackt and Hyde retreated to the privacy of their hotel room. Finally agreeing on music to play, they set the volume high enough so that they would not be heard. Together, they undressed and lay entwined on the bed.

“Was it too much?” Gackt asked, knowing what was on Hyde’s mind. “This project… was it too difficult?”

“No, no,” Hyde shook his head and kissed Gackt’s neck softly. “It’s just… it’s a lot to think about. How very like my own life, my character was.”

“And,” Gackt ventured, “being with me, like this…” he spoke softly, as though afraid of his own words, “is this alright? What you want?”

Hyde smiled. “Oh, yes,” he kissed Gackt deeply. “I feel so much more alive when I am with you, like this… I’m only sorry I didn’t see it sooner.” Hyde chose his next words with more care than he ever had before. “It could be like this… forever, you know.”

Gackt looked down into Hyde’s deep brown eyes. “Forever?”

“Yes,” Hyde continued, not breaking eye contact. “It won’t hurt, I’d never hurt you… and we could be young like this, forever… always by each other’s side…” he kissed Gackt again. _Please don’t run away from me now,_ he begged. _Was this the right way to ask?_

Gackt fell silent, and Hyde could feel him thinking of the possibilities. “Hyde,” he began, “you promise, it won’t hurt me?”

“A little prick, like a needle, only a moment,” he kissed Gackt’s cheek. “I promise, I will make it as painless as I can.”

He thought for another moment. _Eternal youth, with him by my side? Just living, and making music, and traveling the world together? I would be mad to turn him down_ …

“Alright,” Gackt said finally, “but you must promise never to leave me.”

“I promise.”

“Then, so do I.” Gackt smiled. “Do it tonight. We have the weekend in this hotel, and then it’s back to reality for a while,” he kissed Hyde, hoping that his feelings could be felt through their lips. “I don’t want to change my mind.”

Hyde grinned. “Alright.”

He instructed the other man to lie flat on the bed, his head in his lap. “You will have to drink from my own blood, once you awaken,” Hyde explained. “Don’t worry. It’s bitter at first, but you will get used to the taste rather quickly.”

“It,” Gackt began, “It will be alright, won’t it? You’ll teach me everything?” He asked.

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you everything.”

“Alright.”

“Now, relax.” Gackt closed his eyes, and felt Hyde’s lips pressing down onto his neck. What started out as a kiss suddenly changed, and he felt the pressure of two sharp needle-like teeth; and then, the sensation of having blood drawn at the doctor’s; Gackt felt himself grow drowsy, and soon fell into a deep sleep. The last thing he remembered thinking was how warm Hyde’s lap felt beneath his head.

_“Come here,” Hyde called, his arms outstretched. Walking over to him, Gackt felt a warm tingling throughout his whole body. When the two men embraced, he felt weightless; Hyde kissed his forehead, his lips. “I promised it wouldn’t hurt, didn’t I?” he said. Gackt nodded; he couldn’t speak. Hyde gently ran his hand up and down his back. “It’s time to wake up now, Gacchan. Don’t be afraid.”_

Gackt’s eyes shot open. He barely had time to process the vision he’d had before a loud ringing in his ears overtook him. “Hyde…! What is that noise…?” He gritted his teeth.

“Shh, shh,” Hyde tried to comfort him, “your senses are going a bit haywire… here, you’ve got to drink,” he brought his wrist up to Gackt’s mouth; a thin red line of blood stained his lips. “Drink,” Hyde repeated.

Gackt pressed his quivering lips to the open wound. His tongue licked at the cut along Hyde’s wrist; the moment he tasted the vampire’s blood, the ringing seemed to stop. He licked and sucked at Hyde’s wrist and felt the blood coat his tongue, slipping down his waiting throat. Hyde threw his head back, no doubt feeling the eagerness with which Gackt seemed to drain him.

“That’s good, that’s good,” Hyde whispered, supporting Gackt’s head. He took his wrist away from Gackt’s swollen lips, stained crimson. He smiled down at the younger man, now young forever. “Gakuto… Gakuto…” he called to the other man gently.

“Hyde…” Gackt responded. “Is… is it done?”

“Yes, my love. It’s done.”

Gackt smiled back, and licked his lips clean. “I’m hungry.”

“I know.”

“But not for blood.”

“Oh?”

“Kiss me again,” Gackt purred, eyes heavy with sleep and desire all at once.

 

And the night marched on; and the days after that, and the years. And though their schedules were in constant conflict, the two young vampires never went back on their promise; they loved each other more than they ever thought they could love.

 

**_2017, present._ **

 

“Gacchan, why didn’t you pick up right away? Were you in the shower or something?”

“Yes, sorry, I was,” Gackt laughed. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“You should be. It’s your birthday today, or had you forgotten?” Gackt could feel Hyde smiling through the phoneline.

“It’s not my--- oh, yes. That birthday,” Gackt corrected himself. “This year, again, it came so quickly.”

“Happy birthday, Gacchan,” Hyde sing-songed.

“Thank you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Let’s celebrate,” Hyde continued, “What do you feel like doing?”

“All manner of things,” Gackt reclined where he sat, “as long as it’s with you.”


End file.
